BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Students listening to Falcon hockey this season will recognize a new, yet familiar, voice on WBGU-FM.

Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization recently selected Danny Nieves as the new play-by-play commentator for BG hockey games. Nieves came into the position after performing color commentary duties for four years next to Andy Evans, with Evans calling the play-by-play. Evans left for Michigan after the 2006-07 season.

Now, it will be Nieves doing the play-by-play while Bob Mills takes over on color. Although Nieves is relatively inexperienced in his new role, Mills is confident his partner will adapt just fine.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The weekend was supposed to be a rude welcome to Division I hockey for Michigan’s 12 freshmen.

It turned out the youngsters had already let themselves in the back door, grabbed some cups and commandeered the keg. Right away, they were at home.

Despite its underdog status, the Michigan hockey team hoped to come away from last weekend’s Ice Breaker Invitational with the championship trophy. But beating then-No. 2 Boston College and hanging close in what was, for all intents and purposes, a road game against then-No. 5 Minnesota, is about the best start imaginable for this inexperienced team.

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BOULDER, Colo. — The CU hockey team defeated the Denver Pioneers Friday night 5-3 in Boulder.

Improving their record to 6-0, the Colorado Buffaloes still were not satisfied in their 5-3 victory.

“We played sub-par,” General Manager Everett Pfeiff said.

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AMHERST, Mass. — t’s hard to make an impact in your first collegiate hockey game. The game is faster, the style of play is different and the atmosphere is certainly not the same as a high school or junior league game.

But Brian Keane of the No. 15 Massachusetts hockey team did just that. A day after the Mass Attack lost its rematch with No. 7 Clarkson, 2-1 in overtime, Keane scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal against No. 12 Saint Lawrence. The freshman took a feed from Cory Quirk and beat the Saints’ Kain Tisi on the left side.

Keane did not play in the loss to Clarkson, but when he finally got on the ice, he did not disappoint.

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MADISON, Wis. — Freshman forward Kyle Turris, along with freshmen defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Brendan Smith were faced with a straightforward question after a recent practice on the ice at the Kohl Center: What will be the benefits and drawbacks of undergoing a Western Collegiate Hockey Association season with a team this young?

After all, this is a Wisconsin Badger men’s hockey team that in no way resembles the UW championship outfit of a mere two years ago. Of the 27 players that make up head coach Mike Eaves’ roster, 18 are either freshmen or sophomores. Only seven overall had seen game action before the season got underway last weekend.

What’s more, and to this point unseen in UW hockey history, a record nine players are debuting in a Badger jersey as first-year collegiate skaters. That figure includes another first: Three players who were selected in the first round of the 2007 National Hockey League Entry Draft in late June.

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OXFORD, Ohio — Miami University hockey started off its 2007-08 season with back-to-back wins in the Steve Cady Arena against the University of Vermont this weekend. The RedHawks held the Catamounts to only one goal in each of the series’ two games, winning game one Friday 2-1, followed by a 4-1 win Saturday.

One downside to the successful weekend was an injury to assistant captain and team standout Nathan Davis during the first period of Friday’s game. Davis suffered a separated shoulder, and it is unsure how long he will be out.

Even though the team lost its leading point scorer from last season, the RedHawks made sure they continued to play strong.

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ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team opened up their season this weekend with a trip to Colorado to face off against the University of Denver.

The Black Bears came into the series ranked No. 12 in the USCHO.com / CSTV Men’s Division I Top 20 Poll. With the Denver Pioneers not far behind them at No. 13, it was like having an exam on the first day of classes.

The Black Bears came out a little slow in the Friday night matchup, taking two early penalties and giving Denver a five-on-three advantage. The defense would hold strong and, with goalie Ben Bishop at their back, they were able to kill the penalties to preserve the scoreless tie. Bishop saw 16 shots in the first period and he stopped them all, keeping the game level heading into the second period.

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MADISON, Wis. — With a roster laden with freshmen and sophomores, the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team took the ice for the first time this season last weekend. The Badgers opened up with offensive prowess, something the 2006-07 team struggled to attain and maintain. Wisconsin scored seven goals over the weekend, and according to a much-surprised UW head coach Mike Eaves, could have scored even more.

“Well, I think the surprise was sitting on the bench and seeing firewagon hockey,” Eaves said during a press conference Monday. “We didn’t see that much in our previous five seasons here, but we have people that can really get up and down the ice.

“Even the game that we lost, we had a chance realistically to win that game 6-5. The kids never quit playing, and if they did anything, they tried too hard.”

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MADISON, Wis. — No. 14 Wisconsin Badger men’s hockey head coach Mike Eaves addressed the media Monday, and seemed upbeat about his young team after its first weekend of play.

The Badgers went 1-1 in the Lefty McFadden Invitational, beating No. 8 Notre Dame Friday 4-1, but losing to Ohio State Sunday 5-3. UW did show signs of great play, as the team scored seven goals over the weekend, but Eaves was quick to note the team’s short-comings, mainly the inconsistent play of the young defensemen.

“The realistic things came up where our young defensemen weren’t ready for the pace or didn’t have a good stick in the right position,” Eaves said.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Junior forward Ryan Stoa will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury in the Gophers 4-3 win over Michigan on Saturday night.

“I’m really disappointed for Ryan,” said coach Don Lucia. “He worked extremely hard this offseason and had really taken a step in his development.”

Stoa was predicted to be one of the team’s many offensive threats, teaming with top point-getters Jay Barriball and Kyle Okposo on Minnesota’s first line.

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